The present invention relates to surgical suction tips such as are used to remove waste matter from the body during surgery.
In orthopaedic surgery, for example when replacing a hip joint, it is often necessary to clean out the centre of a bone, primarily the femur, prior to fitting the prosthesis, and it is common practice to utilise a suction tip and associated suction source to remove unwanted gelatinous blood, bone splinters, tissue and the like.
Such arrangements commonly comprise a suction source acting through a container and a length of tubing to the hand-held suction tip itself whereby solid and liquid waste are drawn through the suction tip, along the tubing and into the container.
However, the nature of the waste material so removed from a patient is such that the tip itself and the tubing therefrom are easily clogged by bits of tissue and other matter. It is then necessary to clean out the suction line or the suction tip before the operation can be continued and this is clearly a time-consuming and messy process.
It has been proposed to provide a surgical suction tip incorporating a removable filter element such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4468217. However, the filter unit itself is of relatively complex construction, embodying on it, as well as the filter element,, means for locating the input end of the filter element in position within the associated housing and closure means for enabling insertion and removal of the filter unit into and from the housing.
Furthermore, the waste material is drawn into an annular chamber within the housing before passing through the wall of the filter into the interior thereof and thence from the suction tip. Thus it will be appreciated that the solid matter of the waste material is retained within the annular chamber of the housing rather than in the filter element itself, and any clogging up of the suction tip requires not only removal and cleaning of the filter element but also cleaning out of the housing.